Civil War Store Cards of Cincinnati

Book excerpt: During the Civil War, millions of metallic store card tokens were produced at Cincinnati for merchants ranging from New York to Kansas and Alabama to Minnesota. These tokens were used widely in place of coins, which were hoarded during the war. Many of those who issued the tokens later were assumed, without justification, to have been located in Cincinnati. This book seeks to identify the tokens that were in fact issued there during the war. Extensive supporting documentation is drawn from city directories, censuses, and local historical sources, and reproductions of ads from directories and newspapers give a direct view of merchants¿ activities during the war. Newly discovered biographical material is presented for Cincinnati¿s die sinkers and engravers, who were the producers of these tokens. The reader will benefit from using this book together with the Fulds¿ definitive work, "U.S. Civil War Store Cards, Second Edition," which provides a comprehensive and illustrated listing of all the store card tokens issued during the war.